Tkemlúps te Secwepemc eyeing future opportunities as Chief Louis Crossing project nears completion

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Scwénwen is the business arm of Tkemlúps te Secwepemc and it is tasked with advancing a vision for long-term prosperity on band lands to benefit current and future generations of TteS members. Its crown jewel – the Chief Louis Crossing development – has been in the works for years.

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The development at Highway 5 and Shuswap Road is anchored by Sweláps Market, a Petro Canada gas station and several other offices and retail businesses.

“I think of this opportunity for people, especially business owners wanting to come over to Chief Louis Crossing,” Gottfriedsen said. “It’s not leaving the city. It’s merging the two together so we’re working cohesively for the overall economy of this region and this area so that we’re all benefiting.”

The development has also attracted businesses like Yaki Joe’s Pizza from Merritt. Owner Bobby Garcia told CFJC Today the restaurant was looking for a brand new location in Kamloops to call home.

“And that’s what this complex was – it was a brand new complex and something with a lot of traffic – highway traffic,” Garcia said. “It’s kind of a perfect location for that. We’re kind of right central where we can deliver everywhere.”

“We’ve had a great response from Kamloops. The partnership [with TteS] has been really great. They’ve been really welcoming.”

Development plans are far from complete as there is a desire to add a new hotel and meeting space on the other side of Highway 5, where some businesses already exist. Gottfriedsen said the hotel is envisioned as an anchor tenant for what’s being called Chief Louis Crossing East, which could be fully developed by 2030, if everything goes according to plan.

“For us to put a meeting space on the river would be really nice for wedding venues or graduations or whatever people are looking for,” Gottfriedsen said. “It’ll be nice to explore the opportunities for gaming or to acquire a gaming licence from BCLC. Retail would also be nice.”

Toronto-based consulting firm CBRE Canada is working on the feasibility study and business plan for the hotel, which is expected by the end of this year. Gottfriedsen said those results will help plan out these future developments that will benefit Tkemlúps te Secwepemc.

“Scwénwen, as a whole, has been an economic driver,” Gottfriedsen said. “I’m really fond of the saying from National Chief Ovide Mercredi. It said it’s ‘the economic horse that pulls the social cart.'”

“We have all these social issues at Tkemlúps te Secwepemc and we want to be self-sustaining as a community so we can be self-determining and we can only get there if we feed this economic horse with opportunities like this.”

There are also other longer-term projects in the hopper as well, like a fuel refinery that, if built, will be used to turn vegetable oils into Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). The proposed 7Mile Renewable Fuels Facility is being developed in partnership with Azure Sustainable Fuels.

Gottfriedsen said that project is under regulatory review with the BC Environmental Assessment Office and Environmental and Climate Change Canada to make sure it is compliant with provincial and federal regulations.

“It could be a real game-changer for us economically – not just for Tkemlúps but for the entire region,” Gottfriedsen said, noting that project stands to be the largest development to date, if it goes ahead.

“Our signs say ‘open for businesses’ and that’s exactly what we are. We are ready for people to hop over and see what sort of opportunities are in the area.”